COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine urged the Federal Food and Drug Administration to approve a new system developed by Columbus-based private research lab Battelle.
The system would allow Battelle to sterilize up to 160,000 surgical masks a day.
The company’s website says the CCDS Critical Care Decontamination System is designed to work on N95 facemasks used by health care workers to protect them while treating COVID-19 patients.
N95 facemasks are in short supply across the state.
According to the company, their system allows the same respirator to be decontaminated multiple times with degradation of performance.
Gov. DeWine sent a Tweet on Saturday in which he urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to quickly approve the technology for use.
DeWine also presented manufacturers with a top ten list of desperately needed equipment to be produced, including gowns, masks, and face shields.
The state says more than 1,400 cases are confirmed, with 25 deaths as of Saturday.
In Dayton, a plumber said stockpiling of toilet paper is causing problems as people without the product flush inappropriate items such as baby wipes.
